Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Sells 43,500 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co trimmed its Walmart stake by 6.1% in Q4, selling 43,500 shares and ending the quarter with 667,866 shares valued at about $74.41 million (0.4% of Varma's holdings).
• Walmart slightly beat Q4 expectations with $0.74 EPS (vs. $0.73) and $190.66B revenue (up 5.6% YoY), issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–2.85, and carries an average analyst price target of $137.79 with a consensus "Buy" rating.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — including EVP Donna Morris (76,181 shares) and CEO John Furner (13,125 shares) — with 243,376 shares sold in the last 90 days (~$30.4M); Walmart also pays a $0.99 annual dividend (yield ~0.8%).

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 667,866 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 43,500 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.4% of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Walmart were worth $74,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co increased its position in shares of Walmart by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $131.60 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $125.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.74. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,376 shares of company stock worth $30,406,250. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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